Development and application of geochemical and isotopic tracers to investigate the impact of oceanic processes on climate change.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Human activities are having an increasingly alarming impact on the environment and we must improve our predictive capabilities to decide on optimal societal responses. Foremost among these concerns are the current rise in anthropogenic CO2 and its effect on climate. Atmospheric CO2 and climate have also changed in the past as a result of natural cycles and the oceans have played a major role in these past variations. Exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean is one of the main factors regulating the level of atmospheric CO2 on a range of time scales and ocean circulation is an important contributor to the redistribution of solar heat on the surface of the planet. Today, the ocean is the major sink for anthropogenic CO2 and concerns have been raised that impending changes in deep water circulation could affect the future evolution of climate.